431: Chapter 435 How could you be so mean! [4k]

Inside a hidden cultivation Immortal Cave in Liuyun Immortal City.

Lu Ming's true body sat cross-legged, his surrounding aura as steady as water.

Since his Puppet sent Lin Qingge away from Liuyun Immortal City, he had continued his unrestrained and leisurely life.

Of course, Lu Ming hadn't forgotten to Cultivate, especially after learning about the actions of his dharma body, for which he had prepared early.

First, he found an Immortal Cave with a third-rank Spiritual Vein, knocked the cave's owner unconscious, and finally usurped the place.

Since then, he had been in seclusion here, waiting quietly.

Time passed bit by bit, and finally, today, those tightly closed eyes suddenly snapped open!

An indescribable, mysterious ripple descended from the heavens without warning, sinking straight into his body!

The ripple was colorless and formless, yet it truly existed!

Like a clear spring, it surged into Lu Ming's Dantian and Meridians, finally lighting up his Sea of Consciousness like a beam of light!

Lu Ming's pupils suddenly constricted!

He felt his cultivation base suddenly skyrocket at this moment!

Boom!!!

With almost no Bottleneck, his cultivation base broke through from the Late Golden Core Stage to Golden Core Perfection!

This entire process took only a few breaths!

Before he could even react, that mysterious ripple forcibly boosted his cultivation base to Golden Core Perfection!

Lu Ming sat in place, somewhat dazed, feeling the majestic power within him, his face filled with complexity.

The Dao struggle between Jiang Wunian and Yun Chenzi was something he had orchestrated.

This caused the Karma of both individuals to be inextricably entangled with him.

Therefore, the moment Jiang Wunian fell, his entire fortune was shared with him.

Causing his cultivation base to soar instantly, like a rocket!

"fortune, so this is fortune!"

Lu Ming clicked his tongue in amazement.

He recalled when he cultivated Demonic Techniques and forbidden Laws, completing in decades the path that most Cultivators take a lifetime to finish.

At that time, he even felt he was a Genius!

However, since cultivating the "Heavenly Mandate Compilation and Fortune Diagram Record," he finally understood.

So cultivating immortality could actually be this simple!

As long as he stripped others of their providence, he could nourish himself; this was even more powerful than using cheats.

I love it, I love it!

Lu Ming was delighted.

As long as he continued like this, letting his dharma body set traps to hunt Cultivators outside, he wouldn't need to laboriously Cultivate at all, and his cultivation base would advance by leaps and bounds.

Is there anything more satisfying than this?

Gah gah gah...

However, very soon, Lu Ming found himself unable to laugh.

At this moment, feeling the newborn power within him, he couldn't help but frown.

Something seemed... not right.

In Lu Ming's perception, although the power within him was majestic and indeed real.

But he always felt that his Golden Core Perfection Realm was a bit... unstable?

This wasn't the instability caused by an unsteady Foundation in the conventional sense, but a feeling of nothingness.

It was as if this power didn't truly belong to him but was borrowed temporarily, a sense of emptiness that could be taken back at any time!

This gave Lu Ming the illusion that his Golden Core Perfection Realm was just a castle in the air, liable to collapse at any moment.

Unwilling to give up, he closed his eyes again to sense it carefully.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, a trace of solemnity flashing through them.

As expected, his intuition wasn't wrong!

Within his Dantian and Qi Sea, there was an extremely abundant energy, yet it didn't merge with his own Dantian; instead, it was somewhat out of place, remaining independent.

It felt like a silicone implant—obviously large, but just not real.

"Could this be the Heavenly Dao's restraint on Heavenly Secret Masters?"

Lu Ming was no fool; he soon understood the cause and effect.

Such a cause must be the result of the Heavenly Dao's interference.

Because Heavenly Secret Masters are uniquely blessed, able to peer into heavenly secrets, steal Luck, and take shortcuts to rapidly increase their cultivation base.

But the Foundation of all this lies within the Heavenly Dao.

Since the things were given by the Heavenly Dao, it was only natural that the Heavenly Dao could take them back at any time.

This explained why, despite being so "supported" by the Heavenly Dao, no Heavenly Secret Master ever dared to rebel.

Because they simply couldn't!

As long as the Heavenly Dao willed it, it could instantly revert you to your original form; no matter how heaven-shaking your cultivation base was, it was merely something bestowed upon you by another!

"Taking shortcuts... there really is a price to pay!"

Lu Ming murmured to himself, a shadow passing through his eyes.

Son of a...! How can this Heavenly Dao be so wicked!

Am I not your favorite cub? Is this how you treat the person appointed to carry out the Dao on behalf of Heaven?

Lu Ming felt somewhat aggrieved; this feeling of being controlled by someone else was very hard for him to accept!

Because if that were the case, he would rather not have this cultivation base!

It would be better to be like before, slowly Cultivating bit by bit by devouring the blood and Qi of others.

At least what he gained then would be his own and wouldn't be easily controlled by others.

And Cultivating that way wasn't actually slow; it was just that he had been too greedy.

But what use was saying this now? It was nothing more than being a Monday morning quarterback. The goods had already been received; it was impossible to go back on it now.

Since that was the case, he should find a way to solve it instead of creating anxiety here and blaming heaven and man.

Furthermore, how could Lu Ming have the kind of personality that allowed himself to be controlled at will?

Lu Ming performed the Heart-Cleansing Incantation to stabilize his mind, then lowered his head in thought and quickly came up with a method.

"I just don't know... if it's feasible."

Lu Ming took a deep breath, sat cross-legged, and slowly began to circulate the "Asura Tribulation Prison Scripture."

This Cultivation Technique could devour the blood and Qi of living beings and various energies of heaven and earth.

So... could it devour "fortune"?

If it could, once devoured and refined, this fortune would completely transform into his own cultivation Foundation instead of something bestowed by the Heavenly Dao.

Action followed thought; trying it wouldn't hurt anyway!

Lu Ming closed his eyes and began to activate the technique, attempting to refine the fortune within his body.

As the technique circulated, within his Dantian and Qi Sea, that independent fortune first trembled violently, then actually began to slowly loosen!

It's feasible!

Lu Ming was ecstatic!

I really am a Genius!

However, just as he was about to increase his efforts to continue refining, a massive wave of malice suddenly enveloped his entire body!

That malice was as vast as the sea, as deep as an abyss, and as cold as ten-thousand-year-old profound ice!

It seemed to come from above the Nine Heavens, like an invisible gaze coldly watching him!

It felt like a sharp sword hanging over his head; if he took another step, he would face the greatest horror in heaven and earth!

This sudden turn of events made Lu Ming stiffen instantly, feeling his blood turn cold!

He made a prompt decision and cut off the circulation of the technique regardless of the cost!

He didn't even have time to use the karma golden book to transfer the backlash away before the violent power of the backlash began to wreak havoc inside him!

Poof!

A mouthful of blood sprayed out!

"Damn it!"

Lu Ming cursed inwardly, gasping for breath.

He knew that from the moment he accepted that "fortune," he had likely been targeted by the Heavenly Dao.

And his actions just now were no different from trying to break free from the Heavenly Dao's restraints.

What was the difference between this and those people who shouted about being Heaven-Defying all day?

The nature of it was far too egregious!

So the Heavenly Dao had personally stepped in to give him a warning.

Lu Ming felt apprehensive, but his hands didn't stop moving.

He quickly swallowed a few healing Medicinal Pills, adjusted his breathing for a moment, and then fell into deep thought.

Although the Heavenly Dao's reaction was strong, Lu Ming vaguely felt that the malice wasn't entirely directed at him personally, but at something else.

He couldn't be blamed for thinking so.

Simply because he had just checked, and no new name had appeared on the karma golden book in his Sea of Consciousness.

Lu Ming wasn't sure if it was because the Heavenly Dao's existence itself was too special to be listed.

Or was it because the Heavenly Dao's level was too high, exceeding the golden book's listing requirements, or some other reason?

In any case, it didn't seem as bad as he had imagined!

"But if it's not targeting me, then what exactly is it..."

Scratching his head, Lu Ming began to review the series of events that had just occurred.

If he set himself aside, what other action could have caused the Heavenly Dao's malice?

He pondered for a moment, his eyes suddenly narrowing.

"Could it be... the Cultivation Technique?"

It seemed that his act of activating the "Asura Tribulation Prison Scripture" was what provoked the Heavenly Dao.

To verify this guess, he activated the "Asura Tribulation Prison Scripture" once more.

However, this time, he didn't try to refine the fortune; he just Cultivated normally.

Suddenly, that inexplicable malice enveloped his entire body again!

This time, Lu Ming was prepared and quickly interrupted the technique's circulation.

"Phew—"

Lu Ming exhaled a long breath, his brow furrowed.

What was going on?

Why was he never targeted by the Heavenly Dao when cultivating this technique before, yet now there was a problem?

How could this be?

Lu Ming's talent for Cultivation might be unsatisfactory, but in the Realm of conspiracy theories, he was brilliant.

A moment later, he thought of a possible explanation.

If he were to consider what didn't exist before but did now, it was the fortune he had just obtained.

Was it because after obtaining the fortune, he had been "marked" by the Heavenly Dao, so cultivating the "Asura Tribulation Prison Scripture" again would draw its attention?

But why was that?

What secret did the "Asura Tribulation Prison Scripture" hold to make the Heavenly Dao react like this, or even... be somewhat wary?

He couldn't figure out this question.

He found no relevant records in Li Daoxuan's memories, nor any clues in the memories of others.

"It seems the secret of this technique is quite significant."

Lu Ming thought to himself.

However, the more it was so, the more excited he became.

Something the Heavenly Dao was wary of only proved that his actions were absolutely correct!

But it was also proven now that directly absorbing fortune was of no benefit to oneself; instead, it made one easily restrained by the Heavenly Dao.

Thus, the path he had previously planned for himself—to "attain the Nascent Soul through fortune"—was naturally unfeasible.

He had to pick up the "Asura Tribulation Prison Scripture" again.

However, the "Asura Tribulation Prison Scripture" was currently only at the third rank; he still needed to find the subsequent fourth-rank techniques.

But that was a matter for the future!

The most important issue right now was to deal with his own fortune, to completely refine it and make it truly his own.

Lu Ming didn't back down just because the Heavenly Dao had shown malice toward him.

On the contrary, he became even more determined to refine this fortune.

After all, being so closely watched by the Heavenly Dao, his future actions would inevitably be restricted, fearing he might accidentally provoke Its bottom line.

But trying to refine it under the nose of the Heavenly Dao was simply too difficult.

Although he had thought about using the karma golden book to transfer his Karma, he didn't dare to now.

After being marked by the Heavenly Dao, he was also afraid that this greatest secret would be exposed before Its eyes.

However...

Lu Ming raised his head, his gaze piercing through the walls of the Immortal Cave, looking into the distance.

There, that massive crack spanning the horizon still hung above the Nine Heavens.

Right now, wasn't there a perfect Opportunity?

That was to enter the Xuanling Secret Realm!

Inside the Secret Realm, there was a world of its own; the Laws were different from the outside world, heavenly secrets were chaotic, and Karma was blurred.

There, the "gaze" of the Heavenly Dao upon him might be weakened or even temporarily cut off.

And he could take the Opportunity to refine the fortune and completely eliminate the hidden danger!

The reason Lu Ming was so certain wasn't just wishful thinking but based on rational analysis.

First, various signs indicated that the Heavenly Dao was actually unwilling for Cultivators to continue increasing their cultivation bases and plundering the Cultivation World's resources, thereby sharing Its authority.

The existence of the Xuanling Secret Realm then became very strange.

Since It wanted to suppress Cultivators, what was the point of creating a Xuanling Secret Realm?

Why not destroy or even seal it once and for all, eliminating any possibility for Cultivators to climb higher!

This double-standard feeling of wanting both ways allowed Lu Ming to catch a subtle hint.

That is, it was highly likely that the Heavenly Dao simply could not interfere with the existence of the Xuanling Secret Realm.

To put it more simply, while the Heavenly Dao could make the Xuanling Secret Realm descend early, It had no way to destroy it.

This explained why the Heavenly Dao would limit the advancement of Cultivators while also opening the Xuanling Secret Realm, filled with countless opportunities, for them to enter.

Because It simply couldn't do it!

In that case, the Heavenly Dao's interference with reality within the Xuanling Secret Realm would likely be reduced to a minimum, or even be non-existent.

Thus, this was the best Opportunity to resolve the hidden danger of the fortune within him.

"But looking at it this way, the Xuanling Secret Realm is likely fraught with danger!"

Lu Ming believed that if he could figure this out, the Heavenly Dao, as the instigator, would surely realize that the Secret Realm was the perfect chance to exploit a loophole.

Therefore, there must be backup plans left by the Heavenly Dao in the Xuanling Secret Realm to restrain or even use more brutal means to kill Cultivators.

However, Lu Ming wasn't clear about the secrets within; he could only take it one step at a time.

Actually, at the very beginning, Lu Ming hadn't thought about entering and taking risks personally. At most, he would let his dharma body go in to scout the way, not wanting to risk himself, but now he had no choice but to do so.

But it wasn't a big problem; he knew his own situation. Even if his main body encountered misfortune in the Secret Realm, his dharma body could take the Opportunity to achieve Rebirth.

However, if possible, Lu Ming didn't want to reach that point.

"It seems that before going in, I need to make a few preparations."

With Lu Ming's current combat strength and methods, he had few rivals among those in the Golden Core stage.

But facing the unfathomable and high-and-mighty will of the Heavenly Dao, he didn't dare to be careless.

Having a few more methods would count as an extra backup path.

"Calculating the time, the Secret Realm opening should be in about half a month; that should be enough!"